LABOR’S BOOST FOR COMMUNITY LEGAL CENTRES - Media Release

Posted by Andrew Leigh Mp48sc on June 18, 2016

A Shorten Labor Government will ensure the Women’s Legal Centre (ACT and Region), Community Law ACT and Street Law ACT have the funds they need to keep their doors open and can continue to serve those in the community who need them the most.

The Liberals have done nothing but attack legal services since the day they came to office. Malcolm Turnbull and George Brandis have cut $52 million from Community Legal Centres, Legal Aid Commissions and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Legal Services.

The Turnbull Government’s recent funding announcements are a pathetic attempt to fix up the mess they have created. The announcements do not go far enough to address the 30 per cent funding cut Community Legal Centres will face on 1 July 2017, which will see many centres having to close their doors to clients.

Labor is proud to announce that as part of a $43 million package for frontline legal services working to help survivors of domestic violence, over the next three years the Women’s Legal Centre (ACT and Region) will receive $450,000 in funding, while Community Law ACT and Street Law ACT will each receive $120,000.

Labor knows how important Community Legal Centres are to Australians. They help Australians when they are often at their lowest and most desperate – victims of domestic violence and financial scams are among the most common of their clients.

Thanks to the damaging cuts by Tony Abbott and George Brandis, backed in by Malcolm Turnbull, 160,000 people were turned away from Community Legal Centres last year alone. This is not right and Labor will address it.

Only a Shorten Labor Government will ensure the people of Canberra’s northside have access to legal services in times of need.

You can trust Labor to protect Community Legal Centres – the only guarantee you will get from a Turnbull Government is a cut to funding.